Sebastopol offers $2,500 prize in downtown mural contest

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Sebastopol offers $2,500 prize in downtown mural contest
https://yourtown.pressdemocrat.com/2...mural-contest/

By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

In an attempt to spruce up a parking lot and heavily-traveled walkway in downtown Sebastopol, the city is holding a contest for artists to design a mural.

The winning submission will get a $2,500 prize.

“It’s bare and we do have graffiti problems at times,” said Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer. “There are entrances to the Main Street stores and parking, but it is not the most attractive area. We looked at the wall and said this would be a good way to brighten the area.”

The mural will adorn a 90-foot-long retaining wall and stairwell on Edman Way, located in a parking lot behind City Hall, the library, senior center and Main Street businesses.

The deadline for submissions is April 15. City officials hope the mural will be in place by the end of the year.

The city is not specifying a subject matter or theme, but suggests the mural could depict historical, geographical, cultural or other unique aspects of Sebastopol.

“I like to see people in them,” Shaffer said. “What we support and like to see in Sebastopol is cycling, walking. People are very opinionated here, very active, something that reflects the people and the spirit of the community.”

The mural could be created with paint, tile or even removable panels, and be the work of a single artist or a group, said Linda Galletta, executive director of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

Galletta said it’s hard to predict how many submissions there may be. The art center’s themed exhibits often draw from 50 to as many as 300 entrants.

“It is a real opportunity for an artist to create a piece of public art that would be presented in the community and certainly have their name attached to it,” Galletta said. “This location is a well used location, maybe not well thought of. It will have lots of viewers. It is in a very conspicuous place.”

Galletta will serve on a five-member screening committee, which will also include Planning Commissioner Evert Fernandez, city planning director Kenyon Webster, public works superintendent Richard Emig and an arts center board member, who has not yet been named.

The final selection will be made by the city’s Community Development Agency, which is made up of the City Council.

The winner will receive $2,500, paid by the city’s redevelopment funds, which will also have to cover the costs of the mural.